Start Strong by Sitting Down
Hey authors! Want to write better stories. Sit down and watch TV.
I speak romance. And the structure of a romance novel are based around five pillars.
1. introduce your main characters hero and heroine
2. They have to meet each other on the page so the reader can see their chemistry
3. We watch them get to know each other in a phase called the Fun and games or the Falling Love moments.
4. There's a Dark moment where the relationship is tested
5. There's a Grand gesture which leads to an HEA
You can try to be different, but the large romance reading audience responds very favorable to this structure. They expect it, and I'm all for giving readers what they want because then they throw money at me through their e-readers.
The best way to study this structure is to read a lot of romance novels. Wanna know another, quicker way? Watch movies and television. Especially television shows. Why?
Television shows are short and they have to hit the story beats and use tactics to keep viewers in their seat AND not clicking the clicker to change the channel.
When you watch TV, or movies, shout out -outloud or in your head- that's the hero. There's the heroine. Oh, they're meeting for the first time on screen, isn't that cute. This montage of them taking long walks or working late hours and sneaking glances, this kinda feels like falling in love. Oh, no there's a misunderstanding and it's looking pretty dark in this moment. Ah, look at this heartwarming grand gesture. I can totally see them spending the rest of their lives together.
Then put in another movie or TV show and do it again.
Yes, folks. Being a couch potato can build your storytelling muscle!
Are you writing a small town romance? Watch Virgin River or Sweet Magnolias on Netflix.
Writing Romantic Suspense, watch The Catch or The Thomas Crown Affair.
Writing a RomCom? You have so much to choose from.
You'll see it again and again
Hero and Heroine introduced
Meet Cute
Fun and games
Dark Moment
Grand Gesture
That's the structure. It's what readers and viewers come for.
You don't have to outline it. But train your brain to recognize it. Because you're a creative, you'll innovate these obligatory scenes in your stories.
Want more about the Big Five of a romance novel? You can download Romance Roadmap at https://ineswrites.com/romancemap